If you wish to apologise or register a Leave of Absence Request, please use the links below. Any problems please use contact form and emails will be forwarded. Remember absences need to be submitted before 6 pm on Thursday to be credited. LOA's require board approval

Michelle Beaton requested that all update their commitments re Guess who’s coming to dinner. To confirm, dates are 26 May and 9 June. Tell Michelle if your intentions have changed from what you signed up for, or if you now would like to go.

Ian Burns advised that the K Valley tree planting was postponed to 19 May, on account of the fact that the planting area was currently under water.

Max Mason outlined his idea for his sergeant session next week: DOB IN A MATE: Please email stories, true or false, so long as they have an element of humour, about your fellow Rotarians, so Max can retell them to the rest of us.

Kathy Webb advised that she had an alternative offer on the tree planting front; to wit:

Trees are $10, and available from Kathy: kathywebb@outlook.co.nz. 0272814842

Induction.

We welcomed Barry Fredheim to our number. He was introduced by Antoon Moonen, who started by reminding us that his Christian name should be pronounced

An-TONE.

Barry then told us that his original hometown was Prince Rupert, British Columbia. He trained as a teacher, but then got sidelined by other jobs, including a spell of commercial fishing, before meeting his wife, having kids and coming to New Zealand at her behest in 2000. Now he is in real estate.

Speaker

This was our very own Glenys Parton., speaking about ROMAC, or correctly: Rotary Oceania Medical Aid for Children. Once the technology had been mastered, Glenys gave an inspiring address about this great Rotary project, and the huge benefits to individual kids from the islands, most Vanuatu in our case. Although it is an Australian Rotary project, most of the medical work is done in New Zealand, usually with voluntary doctor support. The Aussies are apparently too focused on helping their own first. Glenys gave us some individual stories, helped by graphic pictures. Luckily, all had finished breakfast by that stage. Hopefully, by the end of the Rotary year, 30 kids will have had life-changing operations thanks to the ROMAC program. As always, Donations are critical for the good work to continue. If all Rotarians in our district gave the small sum of $20 per year, with matched Rotary funds, the program could handle 50 kids per year. As the district & NZ chair of this program, Glenys is trying to organise a champion in each Rotary club. A big task, given the wide geographical spread of our district.

Donation details for ROMAC

Internet Banking: 03 1702 0192208 01

Reference1: Your name

Reference 2: 405-ROMAC

Reference 3: Your telephone number for tax receipt

Sergeant session

Raffle winner: Barry Fredheim.

Our Sergeant was James Clague. After giving us the wisdom of the 10th man test, he went on to give us some of the classic clangers from HR H Prince Phillip.

For example:

To a group of Dentists: “Dontopedology is the science opening your mouth, and putting your foot in., which I’ve practised for many years”.